On Jasper Lane, Cassie Bloom is gearing up for Halloween; Becky is expecting, and her father is overbearing and paranoid; Rick and James are their usual happy selves, though James has developed a porn obsession; Terrence is putting together an all drag cheer squad; and David is helping Cliff transition from adult film star to bodybuilder. Of course, that’s just what’s going on at the surface. This is suburbia, and its underbelly is teeming with secrets.

Like what’s up with that rather odd family that moved in down the street – the family with the big cross in the front yard who look nothing alike. Like where Cassie’s son, Jason, has disappeared to and why he hasn’t called. Like what on Earth Nanna Hench is doing with a scooter, a megaphone, and a clown car full of religious zealots.

When Cliff suddenly disappears, Jasper Lane goes on high alert. Terrence posts fliers, and Rick and James scour the gym. David is determined to get his husband back, but when he goes missing too – and with Cassie and Melinda on a road trip to find Jason – it’s up to Terrence to solve the mystery and save the day.

Eric Arvin resides in the same sleepy Indiana river town where he grew up. He graduated from Hanover College with a Bachelors in History. He has lived, for brief periods, in Italy and Australia. He has survived brain surgery and his own loud-mouthed personal demons. Eric is the author of The Rest is Illusion, Subsurdity, Suburbilicious, Simple Men, Another Enchanted April, Woke Up in a Strange Place, and various other sundry and not-so-sundry writings. He intends to live the rest of his days with tongue in cheek and eyes set to roam.

To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CDT, Tuesday July 10.

By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.

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Reading UpdateLast Stop by Lou Harper. ebook. arc. Very good kinky m/m romantic suspense about a guy who’s hitchhiking to Seattle, paying his way with sex or a friendly ear. When his latest ride dumps him at a truck stop in Montana, he sees a help wanted sign and decides to stick around for a bit after he meets the sexy, mysterious, older owner of the cafe. And then things start to get more and more complicated…Where You Hurt the Most by Anne Brooke. ebook short. arc. Very good short m/m romance about an escort who’s asked to spend some time with a young man and perhaps help draw him out of the shell he’s been in since an accident left him terribly scarred. Written in a lovely, literary style, this story was a pleasure to read. My only complaint was that, while the story of the escort and the young man was evocatively told, I wanted to know at least a few more details about the merely implied back story in order to better understand a scene near the end.Pricks and Pragmatism by JL Merrow. ebook short. Very good m/m romance about a guy who’s almost done with his university degree. He has no money, so he’s been staying with various guys, basically exchanging sex for food and lodging. But what’s up with the nerdy engineer he’s just moved in with, who doesn’t seem interested in him in that way?Into the Bermuda Triangle (Turbulence #1) by Jordan Castillo Price. free ebook short. Very good short m/m paranormal setting the stage for future episodes of this serial about pilots who fly into the Bermuda Triangle. You are definitely left wanting more! The Amethyst Cat Caper by Charlie Cochet. ebook. Very good mystery and romance set in Manhattan in the 1930s, in which the owner of a teahouse purchases a cat statue that he assumes is a forgery until a Pinkerton’s man comes knocking on his door…Still Waters (Sanctuary #4) by RJ Scott. ebook. arc. Good m/m romantic suspense in which a Sanctuary operative, former FBI, is thrown together with his ex (still in the FBI) who believes he was on the take.She’s Come Undone by Eric Arvin. ebook short. Sad short story about being trapped, be it by your body or by your fears or by the actions of others.Home Sweet Home by Kim Dare. ebook short. Sweet short kinky m/m romance about a submissive who returns home to discover that his master’s contribution to their home’s decor is not at all what he suspected. (I took the picture that inspired said contribution. Hee hee.)Glitter (Beach Duo #0.5) by Diana DeRicci. ebook. Good m/m romance about a college student who slowly realizes, over four years, that he’s not actually homophobic but rather the opposite.The Charlie Factor (Beach Duo #1) by Diana DeRicci. ebook. reread. Very good m/m romance about a former firefighter slowly recovering after nearly dying in a murderous fire. He’s befriended by a straight guy who finds himself developing very confusing feelings for his new friend.Popping the Question (Beach Duo #1.5) by Diana DeRicci. free ebook short. Sweet short m/m romance about a couple celebrating the second anniversary of their meeting. Really, this should be #2.5, as it contains spoilers for the second book.Doing Love Right (Beach Duo #2) by Diana DeRicci. ebook. reread. Pretty good m/m romance about a wedding planner, recently dumped, who wakes up after a party to discover a strange man in bed with him… a strange man who knows an awful lot about him. This would’ve been better without the near-purple prose during the sex scenes.Sparks Fly by Clare London. ebook. reread. Pretty good m/m romance about a successful entrepreneur who gets around, but finds himself thinking about the prickly programmer who helped launch his first venture, an online dating service. This suffers from an excess of exclamation points and… I know Clare’s a much more polished writer now than she was when this was written. Mark’s Opening Gambit by Lee Brazil. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a high school dropout who’s helping his mom support his younger brothers by working nights. When he meets the snooty owner of a chess shop where one of his brothers is in a tournament, he’s unprepared for the attraction between them.My First But Not My Last by Leigh Jarrett. ebook short. Ok, but very short, m/m encounter between a guy who’s just been dumped by his girlfriend and a guy he meets at the beach.The Stars on My Arm by Leigh Jarrett. ebook. Meh m/m romance about a high school senior who’s at first repulsed and then fascinated by the heavily pierced and tattooed guy who moves in next door, much to his girlfriend’s dismay. This book was hampered by a number of things: too much telling and not enough showing, being several times longer than it should have been for the amount of actual story, and a lack of editing (giving someone the finger is rather different than fingering said person).

Reading UpdateGalley Proof by Eric Arvin. ebook. Excellent gay fiction (with romantic elements) about an author who lives a very predictable, safe life ruled by lists and habit… until his attractive new editor shakes things up. As with so many books by Eric Arvin, this book was simultaneously fun, funny, and thought-provoking – pretty much like life itself.Pole Star by Josephine Myles. ebook short. arc. Excellent short and smutty m/m romance about a stripper who gets injured onstage and ends up in the emergency room in his firefighter costume, flirting with the cute radiographer. I had really good intentions of waiting until closer to the release date to read and review this one, but… I couldn’t resist. Tailor Made by Josephine Myles. ebook. arc. Sweet and smutty m/m romance about an unapologetically slutty art student who wants to get his advisor in bed. But he’s not expecting to find himself so drawn to the fashion student he tries to shanghai into helping him with his senior project…The Heart of Texas (Texas #1) by RJ Scott. ebook. Very good over-the-top m/m romance reminiscent of the tv show Dallas, complete with oil wells, villains, lies, a marriage-of-convenience, and more!Heatstroke by Taylor V. Donovan. free ebook. Very good m/m romance told via nearly 50-year old journal entries being read by a young man trying to figure out the mystery of why his cold grandmother is so adamant he stay out of her attic.Raven’s Mark (Sandpipers #2) by Jade Archer. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a chef who becomes fascinated by Raven, the guy who’s just started watching the owners’ son along with his own. However, Raven suffers from crippling PTSD… and his past hasn’t given up on him yet.A Life Without You (Boston Boys #1) by Erica Pike. ebook. Good m/m romance about a gay college student who has a crush on his engaged straight best friend and roommate… his apparently bi-curious straight best friend. Emotions definitely run high in this one (and the POV is first-person present), but it worked for me. And I’m very curious to see who the next book will be about!Just Like Cats and Dogs by BA Tortuga. Good m/m paranormal romance about an orphaned panther shifter who grew up with a pack of wolf shifters, but was never really accepted. So when he runs into a wolf shifter who tormented him while they were growing up, he’s surprised at the attraction between them. The repetitive style of writing isn’t so noticeable for short works, but it definitely grated during this longer book.There’s Cock in This Book (The Hockey Story) by Isa K. free ebook short. Good short m/m story about a deeply closeted minor league hockey player who survives by keeping his head down and blending in… until the new guy on the team hits on him. With a bit more proofing and a less abrupt ending, this would have been a Very Good read.How to Keep the Love of Your Life (After Mistaking Him for a Serial Killer) by Maureen Willmann. ebook. Ok m/m romance about a guy who thinks someone is following him right up to the door of his apartment… and it turns out to be his neighbor across the hall. Too sugary sweet and implausible for me. Also, so very tired of stalkers.The Man Who Spoke My Name (Joey #2) by Azalea Moone. free ebook short. Meh short m/m story about a guy torn between the ex who cheated on him and the guy he slept with on New Year’s Eve.

Fiction writer Logan Brandish is perfectly happy in his peaceful small-town routine with his best friend, his cat, and his boyfriend – until he meets the editor of his next book, the handsome Brock Kimble, and the lazy quiet of everyday living goes flying out the window. Faced with real passion for the first time, Logan becomes restless and agitated, and soon his life and his new manuscript – a work in progress he’d always thought would be completed – are in a shambles.

But as Logan is learning, you can’t always get what you want… at least not right away. To take his mind off the mess, he takes a trip, but even the beautiful Italian, um, scenery can’t keep his thoughts from his erstwhile editor for long. Logan just might have to admit there are some things you can’t run from.

Eric Arvin resides in the same sleepy Indiana river town where he grew up. He graduated from Hanover College with a Bachelors in History. He has lived, for brief periods, in Italy and Australia. He has survived brain surgery and his own loud-mouthed personal demons. Eric is the author of The Rest is Illusion, Subsurdity, Suburbilicious, Simple Men, Another Enchanted April, Woke Up in a Strange Place, and various other sundry and not-so-sundry writings. He intends to live the rest of his days with tongue in cheek and eyes set to roam.

To enter, leave a comment stating that you are entering the contest. Contest closes 7 pm CST, Thursday, January 12.

By entering the contest, you’re confirming that you are at least 18 years old.

If you haven’t commented before, your comment will not be visible until after I moderate it. Please do not leave a second comment because your first doesn’t show up! The blog gnomes will decide your comments are spam and then only ritual dust bunny sacrifice will salvage your entry…

If your comment is actually an advertisement or if your CommentLuv link turns it into an advertisement, your comment will be deleted. (Most of you do not need to worry – this refers to some pretty clever comment spam.)

Winners will be selected by random number.

You must leave a valid email address in the “Email” portion of the comment form.

Reading UpdateWoke Up in a Strange Place by Eric Arvin. ebook. Very good fantasy m/m story about a man who wakes up in the afterlife, with no memory of his prior life, and, with the help of a cryptic guide, begins a journey to recover his memories and make his peace with the significant people from his life.Blood Howl by Robin Saxon & Alex Kidwell. ebook. Very good paranormal m/m romance about a guy, formerly Special Forces, who now offers those skills for hire. When a job goes in an unexpected direction, he has no idea how much his world is about to change… If a few more questions had been answered by the end of the book, this could have been a five-star read. Maybe there will be a sequel?Ex Equals by LA Witt. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a guy, formerly in the Navy, who has just started teaching math at a community college and discovers that his ex (still in the Navy) is in his evening class.In Remembrance of Us by AJ Rose. ebook. Very good m/m romance about a guy suffering from amnesia after a mugging. He’s missing the last two years of his life… including he and his best friend becoming much, much closer. I got sniffly while reading this one. (Be aware that there’s cheating, which I realize is an automatic no for some readers.)Boystown 3: Two Nick Nowak Novellas by Marshall Thornton. ebook. Two very good historical m/m mysteries about Chicago PI Nick Nowak. It’s 1982, and no one really understands why gay men are getting sick… Bulletproof (A Matter of Time #3/#5) by Mary Calmes. ebook. Enjoyable roller coaster of a read that picks up three years after A Matter of Time. Sam’s been away from home in deep cover for months. Jory’s working a job he hates and trying to extricate himself from the complicated interpersonal situations he tangles himself into.A Little Bite of Magic (Magic #1) by MJ O’Shea. ebook. Sweet paranormal m/m romance about a witch/chef who leaves his pretentious family behind in New Orleans to open a restaurant in San Francisco.Happy Trails by Carol Lynne. ebook short. Good short m/m romance about a college student out hiking with his cop brother and his brother’s hot work partner. This read like a snippet from a longer book rather than a complete story, which I found frustrating.